Liverpool has had a last-minute bid rejected by Juventus as they scramble on transfer deadline day.
FSG and sporting director Michael Edwards have finally changed their tune regarding their stance on buying a new centre-back.
The sale of Dejan Lovren in the summer, coupled with injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, plus the increasingly untrustworthy Joel Matip, have made the current situation untenable.
As a result of that, Liverpool scouts have identified Juventus defender Merih Demiral as a suitable January transfer target. However, the Express has reported that the Old Lady has turned down a £45 million bid for their 22-year-old.
Demiral has played 19 times for Turkey, and only joined Juve in 2019 from Sassuolo in a deal worth £16.2 million. He’d previously come through the ranks at Fenerbahce, before moving to Portugal with Alcanenense and Sporting CP.
Alanyaspor brought Demiral back to Turkey in for £3.15 million, but Sassuolo saw an opportunity and signed the centre-back in January 2019.
His career so far has been far from settled. Demiral’s 22 games for Juventus is the most he’s played for any first-team side; he has 29 for Sporting CP’s B side.
With just 29 appearances in Serie A, a £45 million offer seems a little bit excessive. The amount of international caps Demiral has indicated a player with promise, but the lack of first-team opportunities he’s been handed doesn’t indicate a man who can instantly make an impact.
More Liverpool transfer news
However, Liverpool does appear to be close to sealing the deal with Preston’s Ben Davies. Davies has just six months left on his current contract, and was heavily linked with a move to Celtic and Burnley.
In other transfer news, fans wanted the club to try and sign West Ham’s unwanted Issa Diop. Diop has barely featured for the Hammers this season and appears to be available for loan.